Biologically !nspired Design: A novel interdisciplinary biology-engineering curriculum

生物启发设计是一个新兴领域，具有相当大的潜力，为人类设计和工程中的各种问题提供创新的解决方案。生物学家和工程师都面临着确定设计标准的问题，但每个学科都从独特的角度来研究设计。通过采用共同的语言和融合的观点，学生们在克服经常阻碍真正的多学科合作的障碍方面体现了跨学科的过程。通过解决问题的练习，他们学习如何使用设计过程来创建基于生物的系统或原型，以解决特定的工程问题并测试生物特性的假设功能。通过课堂观察、现场认知研究、课堂实验和对学生设计产品的详细分析，该项目主要关注五个学习目标：(1)创意设计的新技术，(2)跨学科沟通技巧，(3)学生核心训练之外的领域知识，(4)独特的跨学科设计过程，以及(5)将现有技术知识应用于新学科的技术。通过将自然视为一位受人尊敬的导师，更加重视自然系统中的信息，可促进保护生物多样性的养护和可持续性努力。生物学启发的设计是解决现实问题的有效方法。该项目还建立了评估指标来衡量设计教育成果，并通过经验验证BID教育平台的成功程度。这是通过评估项目的关键主题来实现的：创造力、沟通、跨领域知识转移和设计技能。评估工作还评估学生的背景差异，以及小组项目中背景多样性的差异。

Biologically-inspired design is an emerging field with considerable potential to provide innovative solutions to a variety of problems in human design and engineering. Biologists and engineers each face the problem of identifying design criteria, yet each discipline approaches design from a unique perspective. Through the adoption of a common language and a merging of perspectives, students exemplify the interdisciplinary process in overcoming the barriers that often inhibit true multidisciplinary collaborations. Through problem solving exercises, they learn how to use the design process to create biologically-based systems or prototypes that solve specific engineering problems and test hypothesized functions of biological properties. Employing classroom observations, in situ cognitive studies, experiments conducted in class, and detailed analysis of student design products, this project is focusing on five learning objectives: (1) novel techniques for creative design, (2) interdisciplinary communication skills, (3) knowledge about domains outside students' core training, (4) a uniquely interdisciplinary design process, and (5) techniques for applying existing technical knowledge to a new discipline. By treating nature as a respected mentor, a greater appreciation for the information found in natural systems promotes conservation and sustainability efforts to preserve biodiversity. Biologically inspired designs are efficient solutions to real-world problems.This project is also establishing assessment metrics to measure design education outcomes, and to empirically validate the degree of success of the BID education platform. This is being undertaken through evaluations of the project's key themes: creativity, communication, cross-domain knowledge transfer, and design skills. The evaluation work is also assessing student differences as functions of their backgrounds and, for group projects, as a function of the diversity of backgrounds.